Evidently, he was there to buy stones. He was briskly issuing orders to a boy standing next to him who looked around the same age as Yuri and, like him, was handsome and well-dressed. He must be Yuri’s attendant. Judging by his light-blue hair, he was likely related to the Aurealis family.
“That reminds me,” Yuri went on in the same brisk tone. “I never returned that magic stone the other day.”
“?”
“This.”
Still not looking at her, he thrust his fist toward Brigitte. Reflexively, she held out both hands, and he set a magic water stone in her palm. The moment she saw the familiar object, she jerked her head up, flushing bright red.
He knew I was here all along!!
What had she wasted all that time worrying for?
If it weren’t for the other people nearby, the short-tempered Brigitte would have given him an earful then and there.
Clifford Yuize belonged to a family collaterally descended from the House of Aurealis. His light-blue hair was a diluted version of Yuri’s blue-black. Although the rest of his family saw this as a point of pride, Clifford had felt a certain antipathy toward the name Aurealis for as long as he could remember.
After all, wasn’t his family like some cheap imitation of the famed Water Clan?
What a miserable business, passing down their thinned-out duke’s blood like it was their most precious possession.
Clifford was relieved that, as the second son, it wasn’t his task to protect their worthless family, but when his parents told him they hoped he would one day serve the House of Aurealis, he silently cursed his luck.
However, when he met Yuri Aurealis, the duke’s fourth son, his feelings changed completely.
If I’d been assigned to serve their second or third son, I’m sure I would have left the city a long time ago…
He felt truly lucky to have been chosen as Yuri’s attendant. He was receiving an education he could feel proud of as the attendant of a duke’s son. And all of it was thanks to the fourth son of the family he had long hated. Life was unpredictable.
Recently, he’d noticed that Yuri was acting strange. His normally coolheaded, efficient, to-the-point master was more scattered than usual. Sometimes he would stare out the window, lost in thought, or suddenly stop when he passed people on the street. To top it all off, he had set a completely ordinary magic water stone on his desk and taken to staring at it for minutes at a stretch.
When Clifford had asked him what the matter was, all he got was a cold “nothing.” So Clifford left him alone.
His school grades were unchanged, and communications with his spirits were excellent. Nothing obvious had changed in his life. Most likely, his own family members hadn’t even noticed he was acting different. As for Clifford, he hadn’t been sure whether the subtle change was positive or negative.
But now, as he stood behind his master, he finally knew: For Yuri, at least, this was a wonderful development.
They were at a stone shop that Yuri frequented. The Aurealis family had gone there for generations, and Yuri often ordered magic stones from them to give to his contracted spirits. Sometimes, he also gave his servants magic stones as a special reward.
The servants liked this because when spirits received high-quality magic stones, they often lent their masters potent magical power that improved the efficiency of their work. They had no complaints about Yuri’s mindfulness and resourcefulness as a master. Around the mansion, he was feared but respected as a generous young noble.
For some reason, however, this young man who typically had no trouble making decisions had been staring at a single display case for several minutes. Moreover, the case was full of pretty accessories—things a practical man like him should have no use for. Finding this strange, Clifford peered into the case.
Right away, he noticed something odd. His master was not looking at the accessories at all but rather at the reflection of blazing red hair in the glass. When Clifford looked up, he immediately saw who it belonged to.
“Yu…”
The instant the delicate, neatly dressed young girl started to mutter his name, she slapped both hands over her mouth. Then she scooted silently to the left—away from Yuri. She reminded Clifford of a little crab scuttling along the beach—same color, too.
Her red hair was a dead giveaway: This must be Brigitte Meidell, the girl everyone called the Red Fairy.
Having in effect been tossed out of the earl’s house, she rarely showed her face in public. Clifford had never seen her in close quarters before, but he detected none of the volatility or foolishness he’d heard rumor of.
…Now that I think about it…the girls who turn Yuri’s head always seem to have red hair…
No sooner had the thought occurred to him than Yuri briskly issued an order.
“Clifford, I’d like…let’s see, fifty of the best magic water and ice stones. And ten each of all the others.”
Noting down the order on a form, Clifford glanced at Yuri. He’d guessed Brigitte must be an acquaintance, but Yuri made no sign of striking up a conversation. Did he perhaps not want to see her? The Aurealis and Meidell families were often compared. Although they weren’t exactly hostile, the relationship wasn’t completely warm, either.
…Or so he had thought.
“That reminds me, I never returned that magic stone the other day.”
Aha…
The magic water stone that Yuri handed Brigitte was definitely the one he had been staring at on his desk. So it belonged to her.
But when she took it, her face turned as red as her hair—whether from anger or embarrassment, Clifford couldn’t tell.
Now she looks more like a boiled lobster than a crab…
Yuri called over the shopkeeper and asked to buy one of the accessories in the case, and Clifford wrote the unfamiliar item down on the order sheet. When the shopkeeper handed it to Yuri, he passed it straight to Brigitte.
“Here, take this, too.”
“…Um, the design is lovely, but…”
“It’s nothing special. Just take it.”
Uh, that’s not true!
Clifford couldn’t help silently contradicting his master.
It’s worth far more than all the magic stones you just bought combined…!
The silver hair ornament was shaped like a large flower accented by nine small gems, each sparkling with a different color in the center. In fact, it was a magic item of the finest sort, said to ward off any type of magic one time.
Brigitte had to recognize its worth. She hesitated, then peered timidly up at Yuri. “This seems like a gift you should give to a girl who means something to you…”
She sounded so concerned that Clifford nearly burst out laughing. Incredible. Nothing whatsoever had gotten through to her. Yuri was silent for a few seconds.
“…I don’t expect to meet anyone like that,” he finally said, revealing the tiniest hint of embarrassment.
Oooh. In other words…he means he doesn’t expect to meet anyone other than her.
Clifford couldn’t believe Yuri had fallen for someone.
But most likely, the only person capable of catching the true meaning of Yuri’s misleading words was his longtime companion, Clifford. And sure enough, Brigitte was nodding away.
“Then that’s all the more reason to save it for when you do.”
“…”
Yuri’s face darkened at the imminent rejection. It was all Clifford could do to hold back the laughter rising in his throat.
Oh, these two are hilarious…
As he gripped his sides to keep the laughter in and blinked back tears, he noticed a girl standing behind Brigitte. He could tell by the way she was standing she wasn’t just a friend—although she was situated modestly behind Brigitte, she was keeping a constant watch over their surroundings.
She must be her servant-slash-bodyguard…
When their eyes met, she narrowed hers warily. Clifford smiled brazenly at her, and this seemed to remind the sullen Yuri and the slightly confused Brigitte where they were.
“…Let me introduce you. This is my attendant, Clifford.”
“This is Sienna, my waiting maid.”
Having been introduced by their masters, Clifford and Sienna exchanged greetings.
Just as I thought.
Sienna was the word for an orangish-red color. Her parents must have named her that because they had hoped she would serve the House of Meidell one day. He should know—his own name was a reference to a body of water, a fjord by a cliff.
She’s probably thinking the same thing about me right now… A tough position to be in, he thought wryly.
“Sir Yuri, please take this back.”
“…I told you, you don’t need to give it back. Can’t you hear me?”
“Of course I can hear you. And having heard you, I have decided I cannot accept it…”
They’re still at it!
Brigitte was yet again trying to hand back the hair ornament, and Yuri was yet again refusing to take it. The other customers must have mistaken them for a young couple, because they had all slipped out of the shop with indulgent smiles, while the shopkeeper had retreated to the back room. The four of them were the only ones left in the large shop.